Vissarion ( bg, Висарион) was a Patriarch of the

Bulgarian Orthodox Church The Bulgarian Orthodox Church ( bg, Българска православна църква, translit=Balgarska pravoslavna tsarkva), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria ( bg, Българска патриаршия, links=no, translit=Balgarsk ...

in the 13th century. He is the only Bulgarian Patriarch who was not included in the list of Patriarchs in the medieval ''

Book of Boril ''The Book of Boril'' or ''Boril Synodic'' ( bg, Борилов синодик) is a medieval Bulgarian book from the beginning of the 13th century. It is an important source for the history of the Bulgarian Empire. The book was written in conj ...

''. The only testimony of his existence is an undated seal reading "Vissarion, by the grace of God Patriarch of the Bulgarians". It is suggested that he presided over the Bulgarian Church during the rule of emperor

Ivan Asen II Ivan Asen II, also known as John Asen II ( bg, Иван Асен II, ; 1190s – May/June 1241), was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1218 to 1241. He was still a child when his father Ivan Asen I one of the founders of the Second Bulgarian Empi ...

(r. 1218–1241) and was omitted in the lists because he supported the union with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

concluded by emperor

Kaloyan Kaloyan or Kalojan, also known as Ioannitsa or Johannitsa ( bg, Калоян, Йоаница; 1170 – October 1207), was emperor or tsar of Second Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. He was the younger brother of Peter II of Bulgari ...

(r. 1197–1207) and abolished by Ivan Asen II. Bulgarian historians believe he can be identified with "Patriarch Spiridon", known from a recently discovered hagiography, whose name is not mentioned in any historical sources. In 1238 that Patriarch opposed the third marriage of Ivan Asen II to

Irene Komnene Doukaina Irene Komnene Doukaina or Eirene Komnene Doukaina ( el, Ειρήνη Κομνηνή Δούκαινα, bg, Ирина Комнина Дукина) was an Empress of Bulgaria during the Second Bulgarian Empire and Byzantine princess. She was the ...

because it was non-canonical. The emperor, who loved Irene "no less than

Marcus Antonius Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autoc ...

loved

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

" according to contemporaries, had the Patriarch persecuted and executed. The Church refused to acknowledge Irene as empress and had Vissarion canonized as a saint and commissioned his hagiography.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vissarion 13th-century deaths 13th-century Bulgarian people Patriarchs of Bulgaria People from Veliko Tarnovo